It is not uncommon to wake up in the morning feeling drowsy, like you didn't sleep well or long enough. However, this is something you will want to actively seek a solution for when this lack of sleep is reoccurring. 

If you wake up often with drowsiness you can't shake and feel tired every day, it could be a sign that you have sleep apnea.

There are many potential causes of sleep apnea, and each case requires special evaluation to determine what's causing the obstruction. Luckily, there are a variety of treatments and interventions that can help people with all types of sleep apnea sleep better and feel better.

Simple lifestyle changes, home treatments, or surgery can treat or even cure sleep apnea depending on what's causing the condition. In most cases, sleep apnea sufferers can find relief and get better sleep with the assistance of mouthpieces or medical devices such as positive airway pressure (PAP) machines.

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While mild sleep apnea can seem like just a minor annoyance at first, it can lead to dangerous complications over time including hypertension and heart disease. It's important not to ignore the symptoms and get proper treatment from qualified health professionals as early as possible if you suspect you might have the disorder.

If you think you might have sleep apnea, this guide will help you get started with understanding the condition and what you can do to get better. However, it's no substitute for talking to a doctor. If you have symptoms of sleep apnea you need to be diagnosed by a certified sleep specialist so you can get proper treatment right away.

Untreated sleep apnea can have devastating effects on long term health, and it's important for more people to recognize the symptoms and risks of the disorder. This sleep apnea guide will get you started in understanding what sleep apnea is, how it's caused, and what kinds of lifestyle changes and medical treatments are available to treat it.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a common, yet serious, sleep disorder that affects at least 9 percent of women and 24 percent of men. It is characterized by difficulty breathing and waking up often during the night while trying to sleep, which leaves sufferers sleepy and fatigued during the day.

Sleep apnea occurs when your body's airways have trouble staying open and become blocked while you sleep. This is often caused by swelled, sagging, or weighed-down throat tissue than narrows and obstructs your airways when you fall asleep and your muscles relax.

Because their airways are narrowed and breathing is more difficult, people with sleep apnea experience frequent pauses in breathing (called apneas) during the night. These lapses in breathing can last just a few seconds or even minutes, and can happen as often as thirty or more times per hour.

This causes people with sleep apnea to snore, gasp, choke, and wake up frequently during the night. However, since this happens while you are asleep, many people are not consciously aware of their symptoms until a friend, spouse, or other family member notices.

The gasping, choking, and frequent waking is very disruptive and makes it impossible to get normal, restful sleep. That's why feeling tired frequently during the day is often the first symptom people with sleep apnea notice.

People with sleep apnea are essentially sleep deprived, which hurts their mood, performance, and overall quality of life. Even if you're unaware of the interruptions to your sleep, it can leave you feeling very drowsy and irritable during the day.

The constant drowsiness can be dangerous, too, because it leaves you prone to mistakes and accidents, which is particularly dangerous when driving on the road or operating heavy machinery.

How Sleep Apnea Affects Your Body

Living with sleep apnea can be difficult, and the condition can negatively affect your health and daily life in many ways.

In the short term, sleep apnea disrupts your sleep and makes you feel fatigued and unfocused. In the long term, sleep apnea puts a tremendous amount of stress on your cardiovascular system and can lead to serious complications.

People with sleep apnea are constantly sleep deprived because frequent episodes of apnea severely disrupt their sleep. The disorder leaves sufferers feeling tired, foggy, and irritable day after day, and can make concentrating and coping with stress difficult.

What makes sleep apnea so serious, however, is that the narrowed airways and frequent pauses in breathing deprive your lungs of oxygen while you sleep. As a result, blood oxygen levels drop, making it difficult for the body supply its organs and tissues with the oxygen they need.

When oxygen levels in your body are low, it puts a lot of strain on your body, and especially your heart, to compensate. When sleep apnea is left untreated this happens for hours night after night, which is very dangerous and can lead to major health problems later on down the line.

Some of the potential long-term effects of sleep apnea include:

• Depression
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Liver disease
• Diabetes
• Stroke

Key Facts about Sleep Apnea

Despite its name, sleep apnea is actually a breathing disorder. Even though it's a sleep-related condition, the most dangerous effects don't come from disrupted sleep, but rather from disrupted breathing.

Narrowed airways and constant apneas leave sleep apnea sufferers struggling to breathe and forces their bodies to cope with low blood oxygen levels every night. This can have dangerous and potentially life-threatening effects on the body over time, which is why it's important to take the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea seriously.

Unfortunately, the early symptoms of the disorder are difficult to catch. General symptoms like drowsiness or irritability are easy to ignore or write off, and many other symptoms—like nighttime snoring and choking—happen while you're asleep and not consciously aware.

This makes it difficult for people with sleep apnea to recognize the signs and get early diagnoses. A total of at least five to ten percent of adults in the United States have sleep apnea, but researchers estimate that as many as 80% of them are undiagnosed and not receiving the treatment they need.

While the disorder seems to be more common in men, it likely has to do with their larger average size and weight (having a large neck, for example, increases your risk of sleep apnea.) However, many doctors believe that as obesity rates rise, this gap between the number of men and women with sleep apnea will close.

Sleep Apnea Symptoms

The major symptoms of sleep apnea can be divided into two main categories: daytime symptoms and symptoms that occur while you sleep.

Nighttime symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• regular loud snoring
• pauses in breathing
• frequent waking
• gasping for air or choking while you sleep
  

However, most people don't even remember waking up during the night, and don't understand why they feel drowsy and unrested in the morning.

Even though frequent waking could be many things besides sleep apnea, waking up gasping, choking, or feeling breathless is a telltale sign on the disorder. Since many of the most obvious symptoms happen while you sleep, many people with sleep apnea never notice their symptoms until a friend, spouse, or family member does.

The most common daytime symptoms of sleep apnea include drowsiness, morning headaches, irritability, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and even depression. These symptoms are directly related to sleep disruptions and the lack of oxygen caused by nighttime symptoms.

These are the most common symptoms of sleep apnea:

• Sleepiness during the daytime
• Memory issues
• Trouble concentrating
• Morning headaches
• Sore throat and/or dry mouth when you wake up
• Loud snoring, gasping, or choking during sleep
• Waking frequently during the night
• Depression, irritability, or mood swings

Causes of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea can be caused by anything that narrows or obstructs your airways while you sleep. Most cases have physiological cause, such as excess weight, inflamed or excess throat tissue, or weakened muscles in the back of the throat. This is known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

However, in very rare cases sleep apnea is caused by a neurological condition instead of a physical one. In this case, the signal that the brain uses to tell the respiratory system to breathe gets temporarily disrupted.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

When you fall asleep, all of the muscles in your body soften and relax, including the muscles in your throat. In healthy people who don't have sleep apnea, the throat is kept open by special muscles that prevent the airways from collapsing. This allows comfortable, unobstructed breathing during the night.

People who have sleep apnea, however, have difficulty keeping their airways open while they sleep. The airways become severely narrowed and frequently collapse during the night, temporarily blocking their airways and causing lapses in breathing

Common Causes of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

• Large Neck: Sleep apnea is associated with neck size, which is in turn associated with being overweight or obese. People with necks that are at least 16-17 inches in diameter are more likely to have sleep apnea.
• Abnormal Soft Palate: The soft palate is the tissue at the back of the mouth and throat, and abnormalities in this area are a very common cause of sleep apnea. If the soft palate is enlarged, swollen, or abnormally stiff, it can narrow or obstruct the throat and cause sleep apnea. In other cases, some people's soft palates are simply more prone to collapsing.
• Weakened Throat Muscles: Some people's throat muscles are too weak or not properly stimulated when they breathe at night. Without functioning muscles to keep the airways open while you sleep, they frequently collapse, making breathing difficult and causing apnea.
• Abnormal Jaw Structure: People with slight alterations in their jaw structure can be at a greater risk for sleep apnea. It is associated primarily with the lower jaw; having an undersized, narrow, or jutting lower jaw can cause airway obstruction during sleep.
• Abnormal Mouth Structure: Minor characteristics in the mouth, such as an unusually large tongue or enlarged tonsils can obstruct the airways at night, causing sleep apnea.
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): GERD and acid reflux occur when acidic fluids from the stomach leak up into the esophagus, which is especially likely to happen at night when you lie on your back. This can cause throat irritation and muscle spasms, which are thought to obstruct breathing and cause sleep apnea.

Central Sleep Apnea

Central sleep apnea is caused by problems in the central nervous system (the brain). It happens when signaling in the brainstem gets disrupted, causing the brain to repeatedly fail to send signals telling the lungs to breathe.

People with central sleep apnea experience more severe and abrupt drops in blood oxygen levels. This often causes a violent, uncomfortable awakening, which is why people with central sleep apnea can often remember waking up.

Causes of Central Sleep Apnea

• Heart disease: Heart disease, heart failure, or stroke is a common cause of a condition called Cheyene-Stokes breathing. This causes an irregular breathing pattern and repeated cycles of increased and then reduced airflow. Breathing can become so weak during the reduced airflow cycle that it stops altogether, causing sleep apnea.
• Medications: Some medications, especially opioids, can disrupt breathing patterns or even stop breathing altogether. Drugs that can induce central sleep apnea include oxycodone, codeine sulfate, and morphine sulfate.
• Altitude: Exposure to high altitudes can cause irregular breathing and a cycle of rapid breathing followed by slow, restricted breathing. This can cause sleep apnea in some people.
• Other Causes: Some cases of central sleep apnea have no obvious cause. These cases are diagnosed as idiopathic sleep apnea.

Since central sleep apnea is very rare, this guide focuses primarily on obstructive sleep apnea. However, most of the information that follows applies to both types and should be generally useful to people with all types of sleep apnea.

How Sleep Apnea is Diagnosed

Sleep apnea can go unnoticed for years since it only affects you while you sleep. This also makes it difficult for doctors to diagnose, since they have to monitor while you are sleeping to know if you have sleep apnea for sure.

Some doctors will diagnose sleep apnea based on symptoms and medical history alone, but often they will ask you to do a sleep study to confirm the diagnosis. That means either doing a home sleep apnea test or spending the night at a sleep study test lab for monitoring.

Home Testing

To do a home sleep apnea test, you take home a small monitor that measures things like your heart rate, breathing, and even blood oxygen concentration while you sleep. Afterward, you give the monitor back to a sleep specialist who will analyze the data to determine whether or not you have sleep apnea.

Sleep Study Test

A full sleep study, also known as a polysomnogram, has to be done in a certified sleep study test center. While this is less convenient than a home test, getting monitored at a sleep study center will give you much more accurate and detailed results.

To do the study, you'll have to check in to a hospital or specialized sleep center where you'll stay the night in a private room. Technicians will hook you up to a variety of equipment so they can monitor you while you sleep.

Most people are able to sleep through the study without much difficulty, even though it might seem strange and somewhat uncomfortable at first. It's worth the time and inconvenience to get an accurate diagnosis, however, and sleep centers can also set you up with a CPAP machine (a nighttime device that helps you breathe) to treat your sleep apnea if the test is positive.

Complications that Occur with Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea sufferers experience low blood oxygen levels night after night, which can lead to serious complications in the long term. Lets look at some of the major health complications that can result from sleep apnea:

Heart Problems and High Blood Pressure

People with sleep apnea are deprived of oxygen when they sleep, which puts a lot of pressure on the heart and circulatory system. Low blood oxygen levels force the heart to work harder to deliver enough oxygen to all the different parts of the body, straining the cardiovascular system and causing increased blood pressure.

This can be detrimental to cardiovascular health and lead to hypertension, irregular heart rhythms, and heart disease. Because of this, sleep apnea can be life threatening to people with existing heart problems. In the most severe cases, sleep apnea can cause heart attacks, stroke, or even sudden death.

Type 2 Diabetes

Researchers believe that struggling to breathe during the night coupled with low blood oxygen levels can lead to insulin resistance and reduce your body's ability to control your blood sugar. Because of this, sleep apnea leaves you at a higher risk for developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

It doesn't help that many people with sleep apnea are also overweight or obese, which is a major contributing factor to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Liver Problems

People with sleep apnea often show signs of liver dysfunction and scarring, known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The exact cause is unknown, but researchers suspect that low oxygen levels caused by sleep apnea worsen chronic inflammation, which can harm the liver.

One study found that two-thirds of obese, middle-aged adults with sleep apnea also had fatty liver disease that was strongly associated with the disorder. The more severe sleep apnea someone has, the more severe liver disease they are likely to have also.

Liver disease also tends to be associated with high blood pressure and obesity, which can compound the problem in some people with sleep apnea.

Risk Factors for Sleep Apnea

Some preexisting characteristics, such as genetics, age, and body mass index, can put you at a greater risk of developing sleep apnea. Some of these factors, like gender and age, are uncontrollable, but some, like smoking, can be mitigated by healthy habits and lifestyle changes.

Here are some of the major risk factors for sleep apnea:

• Being overweight, especially with a body mass index above 25
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Heart disease (common cause of central sleep apnea)
• Opioid medications
• Family history of sleep apnea
• Age (most common between young adulthood and middle age, and in people older than 65)
• Being male (less common in women)
• Smoking

Treatments for Sleep Apnea

Getting treated for sleep apnea is very important for short-term and long-term health. If you think you have sleep apnea, don't wait to see a doctor and figure out a treatment plan.

Proper sleep apnea treatment can improve symptoms immediately, reducing drowsiness and improving overall quality of life. But, most importantly, sleep apnea treatments focus on allowing your body to get enough oxygen at night, protecting you from a host of serious health problems that can result from low blood oxygen levels.

There are a number of different lifestyle changes and home treatments, including mouthpieces and breathing devices, that are effective at treating most cases of sleep apnea. In severe and unique cases, when typical treatments don't work, doctors might recommend surgery as a last resort to eliminate airway obstructions causing the disorder.

Lose Weight

Getting enough sleep can help your well being in a number of ways, your mental health, your physical capabilities, and so much more. But if you have sleep apnea, falling asleep, let alone sleeping through the night is an impossible task. 

There are many reasons why people have sleep apnea, and understanding why you have sleep apnea is a critical step in treating it. Once you understand the root of the issue and what is causing it, you will be able to actively target the issue and hopefully get back to bed! 

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In this blog we will discuss why sleep is so important, especially as you get older. We will also talk about sleep apnea diagnosis and the telltale signs that you should talk to your doctor about your sleep. Once you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, you may need to start using a portable oxygen concentrator while you sleep, so we will discuss your oxygen therapy options as well. 

7 Reasons Sleep is so Important

1. Sleep Boosts your Immune System

It is important for your body to get the sleep it needs so that your immune cells are rested and strong  to fight off allergies, germs, viruses and whatever aliment comes their way. Avoiding sickness like colds or the flu reduces your chance of ever experiencing a COPD exacerbation. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests that sufficient sleep can also enhance vaccines effectiveness, which is obviously a plus, especially now that the COVID-19 vaccine has been rolled out in the United States, and it is crucial for COPD patients health.

2. More Sleep Will Help Shed the Extra Weight 

Getting a full eight hours of sleep doesn’t mean you will wake up and lose the weight you need to, but sleeping can help your body from packing on extra pounds. Without sleep, your body produces something called ghrelin, a hormone that will boost your appetite, not great if you want to lose weight. Without sleep your body also will not produce leptin, a hormone that helps you realize that you are full, also not great for loosing weight. Not to mention, stress increases the likelihood that you will stress eat, and you might not have the energy to fight craving if you are stressed and under slept. 

3. Sleep Can Strengthen Your Heart

Your heart loves sleep. Lack of sleep can cause your body to release something called cortisol which can lead to high blood pressure and heart attacks. Cortisol is a stress hormone that triggers your heart to work harder. Your heart also needs rest to function properly.

4. Better Sleep Means a Happier You

Good sleeping can lead to good moods. Simply waking up feeling rested helps your energy levels soar. This gives you energy to deal with whatever life throws at you, or it at least helps you deal with the obstacles and challenges in everyday life. Having the ability  and energy to manage and deal with your emotions will help focus on the happier emotions. 

5. Sleeping Can Increase Productivity

Getting enough sleep cultivates a healthy attention span and promotes concentration. Sleep also helps several other aspects of thinking including memory, problem-solving, creativity, emotional processing, and judgment, all of which promote success at work!

7. Sleep Can Increase Exercise Performance

Exercise is essential if you have COPD. Exercise promotes your lung and muscle capacity so you are able to do more everyday activities and tasks, and it also helps to slow down the progression of your COPD. Sleep is a form of exercise recovery, and recovery helps your hand-eye coordination, reaction time and muscle recovery. Plus, depriving yourself of sleep can have a negative impact on your energy level, and decrease your strength and power, both of which you will need to have a healthy COPD exercise regime. 

When Should You Talk to Your Doctor About your Sleep

You should talk to your doctor about your sleep if you are not sleeping through the night on a consistent basis. If your lack of sleep is affecting your life while you are awake, you should contact your doctor to set up an evaluation. Your doctor will look at your signs, symptoms, and a sleep history. If you have a partner who shares a bed with you, their insight into your sleeping patterns could be helpful to know!

From there, you could be referred to a sleep disorder center. A sleep specialist can determine your need for further evaluation.

Diagnosing Sleep Apnea 

To diagnose sleep apnea test will be conducted: 

Nocturnal polysomnography is a test where you will be hooked up to equipment that monitors your heart, lung and brain activity, breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep.

Home sleep tests provide you with tools to diagnose sleep apnea at home. These tests usually measure your heart rate, blood oxygen level, airflow and breathing patterns.

Based on the results of these tests and how abnormal they are, your doctor might be able to prescribe a therapy without further testing. However, these tests do not always doesn't detect all cases of sleep apnea, and if your results are normal, your doctor might still recommend polysomnography to understand your sleeping condition further.

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If you have obstructive sleep apnea, you may have to go see an ear, nose and throat doctor to rule out blockage in your nose or throat. 

However it is more likely that you have central sleep apnea because this is much more common, and if you have COPD it is likely that your sleep apnea can be tied to your respiratory condition. 

Tips and Tricks for Sleeping Better if you have Central Sleep Apnea 

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) face distinct challenges getting enough sleep. COPD symptoms including coughing, pain and shortness of breath, all make it difficult to sleep. But as we mention in the section above, sleep is essential for COPD patients because sleep is important for resting your pulmonary muscles — and for simply functioning at a reasonable capacity. 

COPD is not the only reason you are not sleeping well, there could be a number of reasons beyond these symptoms that induce sleeping problems. Understanding what these reasons are could help you find your way to a better night’s sleep.

Cut out mid day coffee or tea

Even though you may be tired from not resting enough the night before, that afternoon cup of coffee could be keeping you up. Having a cup of coffee or tea may help the afternoon crash problem you experience, but the extra caffeine late in the day could be impacting your ability to fall asleep that night, and that is a very counterproductive cycle.

Cultivate healthy sleeping habits 

Make adjustments to your schedule and the ambiance of your bedroom to help improve your sleep. Start by limiting you napping because too much sleep during the day can disrupt regular sleeping patterns at night. Your naps should be no longer than20 minutes, this should help support your much needed night time rest.

Stick to a routine, this means going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. This will help reinforce natural sleep/wake cycles. 

Elevating yourself by sleeping in a slightly upright position helps reduce stress on your lungs. It also can reduce acid reflux symptoms if you have trouble sleeping due to that.

Adjust your lifestyle 

Adjusting your lifestyle means creating healthy habits.

First and foremost, if you smoke, get help to quit. Do not let anyone in your home smoke in order to keep your house  free of secondhand smoke, dust, and pollutants. Your breathing is directly impacted by what you breathe in and when you inhale smoke, your air passages get smaller, which makes it harder to breathe.

Start an exercise program, you can join a pulmonary rehabilitation course to learn how to exercise effectively and safely. If you have COPD you can often experience drops in oxygen levels at night and in some cases you may need oxygen therapy while you sleep, but to avoid having to get on oxygen therapy, physical activity will help you build up your oxygen supply. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day, three times a week. 

A sleep diary is very helpful for COPD patients who have trouble sleeping because it reminds you what works and what doesn’t. Write down what you ate that day, medicines you took, and activities for the day and then write down when you went to bed and woke up. Take a look at it after a few days and you will be able to see what helps you sleep better.

Getting ready for bed prepares you for sleep, even if you are not tired yet, start doing your bedtime routine at the same time every night, this will remind your body that it is time to start relaxing. Try these tips for relaxation:

• Take a warm bath to help your body reach a nice temperature for rest 
• Journal or write a to-do list for the next day to clear your mind
• Relax your muscles with light stretching
• Listen to soothing music or a hypnosis recording
• Shut off your electronic devices an hour before bed
• Create a comfortable and cool space with a temperature between 60-71 F. 
• Get rid of clutter as it can cause stress
• Aromatherapy with lavender can make it easier to fall asleep

Your sleep position is very important in terms of your lung capacity. Having a good sleeping posture helps open your airways making it easier to breathe. Sleep with your head slightly higher than the rest of your body rather than laying your head completely flat. If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your knees and keep your back straight. When you sleep on your back, bend your knees slightly with a pillow placed under them.

Sleeping with an Oxygen Concentrator

Sleeping with a portable oxygen concentrator is something you will have to get used to doing. Your breathing pattern changes while you sleep, and you may breathe deeper when you sleep, or it is possible you have a shallower breathing pattern. That is why, if you use oxygen therapy while sleeping, your nighttime oxygen solution may differ from what you use for supplemental oxygen during the day.

Pulse dose portable concentrators can be an effective nighttime solution for some patients, and you can check with your doctor if your pulse flow device is sufficient in ensuring you have adequate blood oxygen levels while sleeping. But your doctor might determine your specific needs  require a continuous flow portable oxygen concentrator.  Your doctor will be able to perform a series of tests and studies in order to determine exactly what flow-setting you’ll need while you sleep, allowing you to choose your nighttime oxygen machine accordingly.

Once you know what nighttime oxygen machine you need, you can call 1(800)-946-1201 to speak with a respiratory specialist at LPT Medical. We will help you get the device that will cover your oxygen needs at the best possible price. 

There are several portable oxygen options to choose from. If you have trouble sleeping, you can look into specific portable oxygen units that have certain features that make them better suited for overnight use. As long as they meet your prescribed oxygen needs, the concentrators discussed here are ideal for your nighttime oxygen solutions.

Best Pulse Flow and Continuous Flow Oxygen Concentrators for Sleeping in 2021

The Respironics SimplyGo is the most flexible option for you in order to satisfy both daytime and nighttime oxygen demands. This device was engineered with your travel needs in mind, so it comes equipped with three modes of oxygen delivery – Continuous Flow Mode, Pulse Mode, and Sleep Mode! 

The SimplyGo can run off power from a wall outlet, a cigarette lighter or a charged battery, so you can transport your device with you anywhere. This is the most popular oxygen solution for those that who use sleep therapy equipment, such as a CPAP machine, in conjunction with oxygen.

The SimplyGo is ideal for your 24/7 usage and with its advanced ‘Sleep Mode’ technology you will be delivered a pulse dose of oxygen for a longer duration for a comfortable sleep. If you begin to breathe shallowly or through your mouth, the SimplyGo will automatically switch to the continuous flow mode, and deliver oxygen at 2 LPM to ensure you are adequately oxygenated. 

This is something oxygen tanks and canisters will never have the capacity to do. This feature gives you peace of mind that you are being oxygenated throughout the night and getting better sleep for an overall better life.  

Here are the SimplyGo specs: 

• Pulse Settings: 1 to 6
• Continuous Liter Flow: 0.5 to 2 LPM
• Battery life: Up to 3 hours (on the setting of 2)
• Weight: 10 lbs (with battery included)
• Dimensions: 11.5 W x 10 H x 6 D (inches)

The Inogen One G5 may be a good option for your nighttime use if you are prescribed nighttime supplemental oxygen and approved pulse dose delivery. This is a smaller and lighter machine conducive to an active person’s lifestyle, or simply designed with ease and comfort in mind. The Inogen One G5 weighs 4.8 lbs and will give you 13 hours of pulse dose oxygen when paired with a 16-cell One G5 battery. 

Beyond the benefits of its small and compact design, long lasting battery life, and powerful pulse flow settings, is the benefit of owning an oxygen device that provides extremely quiet operation, rated at 38 decibels. That means it won’t disturb you or anyone around you, while you’re asleep.

Here are Inogen One G5 Specs:

• Pulse Settings: 1 to 6
• Battery life: Up to 6 hr 30 min (with single battery)
• Weight: 4.8 lbs (with single battery)
• Dimensions: 3.26 x 8.15 x 7.19 (W x H x D in inches, with single battery)

Overview

The bottom line: you need to sleep well. Sleep is your beginning and the end of each day, so it is a massive part of your life and it should be treated as such, and pay mind to it. If you have trouble sleeping, speak to your doctor about steps you should take to sleep better. People who get less sleep tend to be heavier and are more likely to be diabetic. On top of that they are less energetic, experience bad moods, and lower productivity. 

There are so many ways that you can get into a healthier rhythm of sleep, but if you have central sleep apnea, you will need to take added measures to start sleeping again beyond changing your daily habits and creating a sleep routine. 

It may be necessary for you to go on oxygen at night. If so, you can get set up with a portable oxygen concentrator that is approved for nighttime use by calling 1(800)-946-1201. 

We’ve all experienced what it’s like to be burnt out on something. Whether it’s your job, chores, or health routine, it’s not always easy to find a way to stay on track to meet your goals. What complicates this even further is that everyone experiences this for a different reason. For some people, it’s just a matter of learning how to stick to a routine, but for others, it could be a lack of mental or physical energy that’s holding them back.

Oftentimes, when people are trying to stick to a COPD treatment plan, the latter is true. After all, fatigue is the second most common symptom of COPD with about 50% of patients experiencing it. Knowing this information, it’s not hard to see why it can be difficult to stick to a routine. If you’re hit with a sudden wave of fatigue, grogginess, or breathlessness, it can make simple tasks seem overwhelming. Eventually, your health goals will seem unattainable and unrealistic.

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In this post, we’re going to provide you with some tips for having a fresh perspective on your COPD treatment plan. Regardless of the stage of COPD that you’re in, it’s never too early or too late to hit the reset button and start managing your COPD symptoms proactively. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below and we’ll get back to you.

Change Up Your Exercise Routine

As a COPD patient, you know how important your exercise routine is. While exercise does not magically reverse the effects of lung damage, it improves the efficiency of your body and lungs which inevitably leads to less breathlessness, less chronic pain, and a longer life expectancy. But you know as well as anyone that exercise routines are difficult to stick to, especially if you viewed it as a “chore” in the first place.

More often than not, COPD patients are taught how to exercise through a pulmonary rehabilitation program. These programs are aimed at educating patients about their lungs and disease, then applying exercise techniques that allow them to lead a happier life. Unfortunately, pulmonary rehabilitation programs don’t teach you how to make your exercise routine “interesting” or “engaging.” They simply tell you what needs to be done. As a result, many people find themselves in a situation a year or two down the road where they don’t have the motivation to continue.

At some point, you’re going to want to try new exercises that hold your interest. The important thing to remember is that you still need to follow the guidelines that you learned in pulmonary rehabilitation because this will ensure that you are making the most of your time and avoid injury. For example, if you implement a new exercise, you need to make sure it works the same muscle group and that it’s a similar intensity as your original exercise. If you have any doubts about it, you can always reach out to your doctor with any questions you may have.

Make Adjustments to Your Diet

What you eat also has a major impact on your ability to live a comfortable life with COPD. Unfortunately, your diet is also something that can become mundane if you’re eating the same things every day. Like with exercising, it’s okay to make changes to your diet, you just need to make sure that you’re getting the right nutrients. You also need to ensure that you aren’t increasing or decreasing your caloric intake too much. According to the COPD Foundation, breathing with COPD takes more energy than for a healthy individual, so you need to maintain your caloric intake.

Most COPD patients need a high protein intake. Protein plays an essential role in the structure, function, and regulation of body tissues. Most notably, protein helps you build muscle and counteract muscle atrophy which is common in COPD patients. Maintaining muscle mass is important for respiratory patients because strong muscles take less oxygen to function, thus reducing the burden on your lungs. While you probably get most of your protein through meat, there are many other great sources of protein, including but not limited to fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, and beans.

You might think of fats as being “unhealthy.” But you may be surprised to find that many COPD patients are prescribed high-fat diets. The problem is that many people don’t know the difference between healthy fats and unhealthy fats. Unhealthy fats like saturated fat or trans fat include things like beef or pork fat, margarine, butter, and shortening. Eating too many of these things can lead to increased blood cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol levels. Healthy fats, on the other hand, like monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats include avocados, olives, nuts, olive oil, and more. Fatty fish like salmon is also a great source of healthy fats like omega-3.

While it may seem like COPD diets are pretty restricted, this is not necessarily the case. It’s important to avoid foods that are high in added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats. However, aside from that, you simply need to meet your minimum caloric intake for the day and any other requirements that your doctor sets. You still have plenty of freedom to choose what you eat and switching up your meals can even keep you on track for meeting your goals by preventing burnout. 

Upgrade to a Portable Oxygen Concentrator

After being prescribed oxygen, many people choose the first oxygen device they think of — oxygen tanks. Most people know about oxygen tanks and they’ve seen people use them. But that doesn’t mean they’re the best option for you and your lifestyle. Although oxygen tanks are a popular choice, they tend to be heavy and bulky meaning they are difficult to maneuver. Fortunately, there is an alternative known as portable oxygen concentrators.

A portable oxygen concentrator is unlike an oxygen tank in that it doesn’t hold oxygen within the unit. Rather, it takes in ambient air, removes nitrogen and argon, and puts out medical-grade oxygen. POCs are electronic devices and they run off of powerful lithium-ion batteries, so you simply need to charge the battery via a car or wall outlet and you’ll be on your way. The most notable benefit of this is that you won’t have to keep going out of your way to refill or replace your oxygen tanks when they run out.

Another benefit of portable oxygen concentrators is their lightweight and compact design. Unlike oxygen tanks which are oblong-shaped, POCs are small enough and light enough to be carried on your shoulder. This opens up a world of possibilities and enables you the freedom to live life on your own terms without being defined by your disease. Inevitably, this leads to more options for you and a lower chance of experiencing burnout with your COPD treatment plan. 

Reduce the Clutter

Sometimes it’s not our COPD treatment plan itself that’s causing us to feel burnt out, but all the extra clutter around us. The term “clutter” can be defined as anything that complicates our lives and occupies our thoughts but doesn’t provide any real benefit to us. If you live with clutter too long it can really start to become exhausting and you’ll notice yourself losing motivation in other areas of life such as your exercise routine, diet, and making it to doctor’s visits.

For some people, this might imply clutter within the home. For example, having a messy bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen can lead to a lot of discomfort in your daily life, and as a result, you might find yourself too distracted to follow your COPD treatment plan. Eliminating physical clutter like this is as simple as taking the time each day to organize your home and avoid getting to the point where it’s too much to manage. If you’re too busy to clean, you might consider hiring a caretaker who can help out around the home.

Another type of clutter is “mental clutter.” Think of this as the opposite of mental clarity. Instead of being able to concentrate on what you’re doing in the current moment, your thoughts are always wandering to something else. Mental clutter can certainly be caused by things like a messy home, but it’s more likely to be caused by something that takes your focus off of what you’re doing in the present moment. For example, watching the news for too long or spending too much time on social media are both things that can take your focus off the present moment. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one way of dealing with problems related to mental clarity. This is a type of therapy that’s focused on reversing negative or unproductive thought processes. CBT has become very common among people with chronic conditions like COPD as awareness around mental health problems has increased. During CBT, you will work one-on-one with a certified therapist who will guide you through the process.  

Practice Meditation

Meditation comes in many different forms. However, in most cases, the goal is always to achieve a state of mental clarity and well-being. Meditation helps train your mind to think clearly and without distractions. It also promotes emotional well-being while reducing anxiety and in some cases even improving physical well-being. By far the most popular form of meditation for COPD patients is Tai Chi. This practice combines traditional meditation principles with martial arts. It’s popular for COPD patients because it teaches you to control your thoughts, breathing, and balance, all of which are important if you’re trying to improve your health. Read through this post we made about Tai Chi to learn more.

Speak With Your Doctor

Your doctor should be your first point of contact when it comes to anything related to your COPD treatment plan. If you know that you need to make changes, your doctor will be able to tell you what changes are acceptable and which are not. He/she may also be able to provide you with additional resources or direct you to another specialist who can help you deal with issues related to COPD burnout and fatigue. Sometimes burnout is due to poor sleep quality, so he/she may recommend that you get tested for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other sleep disorders.

Another change your doctor may be able to do is make changes to your medication routine. Corticosteroids are one of the most common drugs used to treat COPD because they reduce inflammation in the lungs. However, these drugs are also known to have adverse psychiatric effects such as mania, depression, and cognitive impairments, all of which can contribute to burnout and a negative outlook of your disease. Your doctor may be able to reduce your dosage or prescribe you a different medication altogether.

Conclusion

Being “burnt out” on your COPD routine can be exhausting. On one hand, you may be tempted to revert to your old way of living and entirely forget about your COPD treatment plan. However, on the other hand, you understand that the best way to deal with the symptoms of your disease is through persistence and consistency. If you feel like you’ve reached this point, be sure to try some of the tips above to get back on track.

Ultimately, you will want to consult your doctor if you’re struggling to keep up with your treatment plan. It’s not unusual for someone to struggle, especially if they’ve had COPD for many years. Here at LPT Medical, we strongly believe that a portable oxygen concentrator can help you regain much of the freedom that you lost after being diagnosed with COPD. As a result, you’ll be able to approach your treatment plan from more angles and prevent burnout.

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We sell some of the top-rated portable oxygen concentrators in the industry such as the Caire FreeStyle Comfort, Inogen One G5, and the GCE Zen-O Lite. When you contact one of our oxygen concentrator specialists, they will work with you one-on-one to understand your needs and align you with a concentrator that matches them. We also have many different buying and financing options to help you manage payments in a way that works with your budget. To get started, simply give us a call or send us an email. 

An oxygen concentrator is an electronic device that draws in ambient air and uses it to administer medical-grade oxygen through a nasal cannula. There are three different types of concentrators including stationary oxygen concentrators, portable continuous flow concentrators, and portable pulse dose concentrators. While each of these operates using the same basic principles, there are some key differences between the benefits that they offer to the user. If you’d like information on this subject, please visit our blog post titled, “Pulse Dose vs. Continuous Flow Oxygen Concentrators: The Ultimate Comparison Guide.”

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In this post, however, we’re going to take a look at one oxygen concentrator in particular: the Respironics SimplyGo. This machine has been out for quite some time, yet it’s still considered by many as the “gold standard” for continuous flow portable oxygen concentrators. Read on to learn about what sets the Respironics SimplyGo apart from other concentrators and watch the video above for a full hands-on unboxing of this device. If you’re on the market for an oxygen concentrator but don’t know where to begin, reach out to our oxygen concentrator specialists by phone or email.  

The Lightest Continuous Flow Portable Oxygen Concentrator

Simply put, a continuous flow oxygen concentrator is a device that puts out a constant stream of oxygen. This is similar to an oxygen tank where if you loosen the nozzle, you’ll receive a constant flow of oxygen until the oxygen in the tank is depleted. But a continuous flow concentrator will administer oxygen until it runs out of battery life. If you keep it plugged into a wall outlet, you’ll be able to run it 24/7 without interruption.

Despite how old the Respironics SImplyGo is, it’s still the smallest and the lightest continuous flow portable oxygen concentrator on the market. The dimensions of the SimplyGo are 10” H x 6” D x 11.5” W and it weighs in at only 10 pounds. In other words, it’s one of the only continuous flow devices that’s light enough and compact enough to carry comfortably on your shoulder. Regardless, every SimplyGo unit comes equipped with a rolling cart for your convenience. 

Something you’ll likely notice right away about the Respironics SimplyGo is that it has a carrying handle built into the top of the unit. This is a simple design choice but it’s not offered with many other oxygen concentrators. This handle makes it much easier to pick the device up and move it around without having to grab it from the bottom or the sides where you risk dropping it. 

The form factor is another thing that should be noted about the Respironics SImplyGo. Most continuous flow portable oxygen concentrators use the term “portable” very loosely in that they’re still about as bulky and awkward to maneuver as a standard oxygen tank. Most people find that they need help from loved ones in order to move their concentrator around safely. However, with the SimplyGo, you’ll have no problems on your own. The rolling cart has an adjustable handle making it easy to store whether you’re at home, in your car, or on an airplane.

Power and Versatility On The Go

One of the biggest problems oxygen manufacturers have faced is creating a small, lightweight oxygen device that also meets the needs of oxygen patients around the world. Every oxygen user is different, so it’s important to make oxygen machines that are versatile enough to satisfy everyone’s wants and needs. Luckily, the Respironics SimplyGo provides more versatility than most portable oxygen concentrators out there.

Firstly, the SimplyGo offers both continuous flow and pulse dose options. On continuous flow, you’ll have between 0.5 to 2.0 liters of oxygen per minute (LPM) and on pulse dose, you’ll have 6 flow settings to choose from. In other words, you’ll have a lot of different options for how you want your oxygen delivered. For example, if you’re at home with your concentrator plugged into the wall, you might want to use the continuous flow setting which consumes more battery life. However, when you leave the house and you’re trying to conserve battery life, you might choose to use the pulse dose setting.

Before you make any changes to your oxygen delivery, you should first contact your doctor. Everyone’s needs are different, so receiving too much or too little oxygen may be harmful to your health. Be sure to ask your doctor how many liters of oxygen per minute you need as well as how long you should be on oxygen each day. If you enjoy exercising, also ask him/her if it’s okay to increase your oxygen intake while exercising.

Another thing that makes the SimplyGo so versatile is the fact that it can operate using either one or two batteries. If you know that you’re only going to be out of the house for an hour or two you can simply take one battery with you as opposed to two. This will help you cut down the weight of your device and make your life a little easier. If you’re going on a long trip, add the other battery into your device and you’ll have twice as much battery life to work with.

Unlike other concentrators which have their battery packs on the bottom of the unit, the SimplyGo batteries slide out of the top of the unit. This makes it incredibly easy to swap out your batteries on the fly without having to flip the device over or lay it on its side. It’s also less of a hassle because you won’t have to take the device off of your shoulder when you do it. 

Fully CPAP and BiPAP Compatible

Many people are unaware that you’re actually able to use your Respironics SimplyGo in conjunction with your positive airway pressure device (PAP device) as you sleep. PAP devices are used by people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who have problems with their airways closing up as they sleep. This can be very dangerous when it’s combined with the side-effects of COPD and other respiratory conditions so you should speak with your doctor to see if you should use both CPAP and oxygen therapy while you sleep.

Unfortunately, pulse dose oxygen concentrators like the ResMed Mobi or the Activox 4L cannot be used with CPAP devices. This is because they rely on slight changes of pressure in the nasal cannula in order to determine when to deliver oxygen. The CPAP device can interfere with this, so you’ll need to use a continuous flow device like the Respironics SimplyGo. Since the SImplyGo has a pulse dose option, you’ll just want to make sure it’s set to continuous flow before you go to bed. For more information on setting up your SimplyGo with CPAP, be sure to consult the user manual.

Conclusion

There’s a reason we recommend the Respironics SimplyGo to oxygen patients time and time again. It’s the smallest and lightest continuous flow oxygen concentrator on the market and offers plenty of power and versatility that people expect in this day and age. With the SimplyGo, you’ll be able to regain the freedom that you once had before starting oxygen therapy and finally start enjoying activities outside of the house whether it’s taking a walk or taking a trip across the world.

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While the Respironics SimplyGo is an incredible oxygen device, we want to get you the exact device that matches your wants and needs. If you’re shopping for a new, used, or refurbished oxygen concentrator, reach out to our concentrator specialists, and we will walk you through the whole process from choosing a concentrator to receiving your medical paperwork and even receiving financial compensation through Medicare or another health insurance company. Give us a call or shoot us an email today to get started!

Respironics SimplyGo Specs:

Respironics SimplyGo Battery Life: